Why is it that some latin americans look white and some others look black and some others look like

I visited Columbia recently and saw so many Columbians who in America would be undistinguishable from your average white American, they had blonde hair, blue eyes, they were tall very light.

Also some colombians who are black, actually I met a colombian lady who looked exactly like Oprah but a lot thinner

and then u have some that look like mexicans or puerto ricans with darker or lighter skin and brown hair and eyes

I even met Asian colombians.... Colombians whose ancestors were philipines and they look sort of mixed with Asian.

I even saw columbians with red hair and columbians who looked like italians, others look like arabic people

is it only columbia or is this common throughout latin america?

Why is it that some latin americans look white and some others look black and some others look like red people

This is of personal interest so prepare for a lengthy answer.

There are a LOT of Spaniards that came in the time of colonialism. Just like the Americans who are English descendants, the white latin americans are mostly of Spaniard descent. The black Latin Americans come from the slave

trade which also came to Latin America, in greater numbers to some countries. Many Spaniards have a very light complexion just like the English, red hair too! Unlike Americans who wiped out most of the Indians, many of the Spaniards mixed with the indigenous people of those lands. In Colombia and many South American countries, it was taboo for centuries (and to some extent still is) to cross breed with indigenous people or blacks of your country, just like it was in America until very recently (arguably, given). Thus why you find pure whites or pure blacks.

In Argentina you will find something quite different, almost no people of color at all. Argentinians were actually the only people more efficient at wiping out native Americans than the US. Most of them have green eyes too.

A lot of black Latin Americans prefer to keep it in their own race.

In Cuba if you have just a light bit of white blood you consider yourself white, which is actually quite the opposite of America.

I don't know about Columbia specifically but i do know that in the late 1800s and early 1900s, due to the end of the slave trade, there was still a need for workers which were filled in with large numbers of Chinese, Filipino, and other Asians. They were practically slaves, no rights for like 15 yrs in which many were worked to death.

Mexicans had a slightly bigger portion of ethnic mixing with the locals, and so did a large part of Central America.

Latin America has had a different story from place to place but there are definitely common trends, mainly due to colonization.

email me if you have more questions, I'm a history buff

maximuz04@gmail.com

^^^use this not my yahoo email.

Why is it that some latin americans look white and some others look black and some others look like red people

Because Europeans "discovered" the Americas, and then raped and pillaged it. Then introduced African lineage through slavery. So you have a mix of different European, African, and indigenous peoples. Also, people tend to immigrate to other countries, expecially in the last two centuries, just as the US and Britain are melting pots of culture and ethnic backgrounds.

Why is it that some latin americans look white and some others look black and some others look like red people

this is common thru out latin america...also in tha caribbean(chinese jamicains for example)

-chai

http://360.yahoo.com/profile-WFv186Iyc6c...

Why is it that some latin americans look white and some others look black and some others look like red people

right... those red people are the worst....

wtf?

Why is it that some latin americans look white and some others look black and some others look like red people

It's common. My cousin looks white and she's mexican. She has green/hazel eyes, very light skin, and a blond hair.

Why is it that some latin americans look white and some others look black and some others look like red people

Primarily, it's the result of the slave trade...

Anyone who doesn't think that the slave trade was the prime motor of miscegnation resulting in people with a melange of ethnic ancestry was asleep in History class. It wasn't the only factor, just the prime factor that brought Europeans, Africans, and Indigenous people together - America: Two and a half continents conquered by the Spanish, British, and French yet named after an Italian. All seeking gold, prosperity, and cheap labor, and oh so often sex!

Don't let me forget the Dutch. In the name of Jesus, half of Europe has whored all over the world so should not be surprised to find their children sprinkled throughout.

Why is it that some latin americans look white and some others look black and some others look like red people

I think in north Europe it's easy to find people with real blonde hair and blue eys, but still blonde people are in minority.

Then you will know the situation for other people, mixed or not mixed.

(in ancient times)how many could live in the cave for a long long time? those blonde people could lived there the longest.

(in the very north of Europe)

Why is it that some latin americans look white and some others look black and some others look like red people

This is common throughout Latin America

1) Most Latin Americans are a mix between the native inhabitants of their area and Spanish Europeans

2) The white looking colombians just have a lot of european ancestory instead of native (Like Fergie from the Black Eyed Peas--she's mexican)

3) The darker ones are mixed with African slaves because europeans brought slaves to work in the feilds and they mixed with the locals

Why is it that some latin americans look white and some others look black and some others look like red people

Because South America is full of different races. Colombia is 20% white and its president is white as was the one before him.